Kernan’s Odd Comment
I wrote a post last August regarding a column that Kevin Kernan had written in the New York Post on Sunday August 26. At the time the Mets had a 6 game lead on the Phillies with 34 games left to play. The Mets were playing good baseball and had what appeared to be a commanding lead. But I warned that with a magic number of 28 it was just too early to call the race won. Especially since the Mets were about to open a 4 game series in Philadelphia that could redefine the race. The Phillies ended up sweeping all 4 games of that series and the collapse was on.
This morning, one year ago to the day since the above column was published, Kernan makes a comment in his column that would seem to ignore his statements of a year ago. Kernan writes about how the Mets must be tough and overcome the loss of John Maine, possibly for the remainder of the year, due to bone spurs in his shoulder. In doing so Kernan makes the following statement:
“Last year at this time the Mets were in their dream world, thinking the division belonged to them. They learned the hard way.”
I don’t think I ever heard a Mets player claim ownership of the division at this early date last year. All I heard was Kernan claiming it.
The statement isn’t entirely untrue as the Mets were doing so well at the time that nobody in the baseball world thought they would blow it. But somehow they did and must learn a lesson from it. But it seems as if Kernan is disregarding his own comment when making a statement like that.
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Maine To DL
John Maine has been placed on the DL with bone spurs in his right shoulder. This is not good news for the Mets who need every arm they can get. There is no word yet weather this is the end of Maine’s season or not.
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Mets Add Another Reyes
According to reports the Mets have decided that they will not stand pat in the bullpen following the news of Billy Wagner‘s continued convalescence. Instead they have signed a third Reyes, Al Reyes. Unlike anyone else on the Mets roster the new Reyes has previous regular closing experience, having served that role for Tampa Bay last season and saving 26 games. He was moved into a setup role after the Rays acquired Troy Percival in the offseason and did not do well. He was released on Monday.
Wagner and Reyes share an agent, Bean Stringfellow. Earlier in the day Stringfellow had said that Wagner will need at least 3 weeks rest followed by rehabbing before returning. The Reyes signing is a good sign that Omar Minaya isn’t just sitting on his hands as far as the bullpen goes. After acquiring the second reliever of the week one would hope a message has been received by the existing group of mediocre arms in the Mets bullpen.
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Wagner Still Hurting
The word is in on Billy Wagner and it’s… non committal. The Mets released a statement saying that Wagner continues to have swelling and pain in the elbow and he’ll need more rest. There was no mention of any specific damage or a timetable for Wagner’s return. Although there was no mention of the possibility Wagner will not return I think it’s about time the Mets plan for that possibility. A bullpen contingency should have been thought of a while ago but for some reason was not. I don’t pretend to know what’s going on in Omar Minaya’s head but it seems like he has a penchant for planning for a season without injuries when he really needs to plan for a season with injuries. The injuries to Wagner, Ryan Church, Moises Alou and Orlando Hernandez prove this. The Mets were ill prepared for any of those injuries.
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Wagner To Be Examined Today
Billy Wagner will be examined again today after which I expect to hear an announcement about some sort of elbow injury that will require him to be out an extended period of time. Let see them prove me wrong.
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Bullpen Cause For Alarm
The Mets bullpen proved again this afternoon that the best way to win a game is not call on them. Following Johan Santana‘s complete game shutout yesterday Brian Stokes came in in the 6th inning to relieve John Maine who had thrown 96 pitches already. Stokes gave up a 2 run homer to allow the Pirates to get back into the game. Then in the 8th inning Pedro Feliciano and Duaner Sanchez allowed 3 runs that turned out to be the winning runs. Sanchez couldn’t even get any of the 4 batters he faced out.
The bullpen wasn’t the only part of the Mets attack to fail. The offense couldn’t get a hit in 8 at bats with runners in scoring position.
Despite the bad performance with runners in scoring position in today’s game the offense has been much better lately which underscores the importance of a good bullpen down the stretch run. Luis Ayala is not the answer here. He may be part of the answer but this bullpen needs far more help than what one pitcher could give no matter how good. And with Billy Wagner apparently out indefinitely there is definitely cause for alarm.
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Johan Pitches Confidence Booster
Metsville is all a flutter with Johan Santana complete game shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday. I’m happy with it too but let’s not get too excited. This Pirates team is 55-69. There’s a reason why they are 55-69 and that is that they are not a very good team. The Santana shutout is a good thing and a great accomplishment. But this win has to be used as a confidence booster as a opposed to a comfort maker. You get too comfortable against the bad teams you end up losing to the good ones.
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Mets Get Bullpen Help
In the wake of the announcement that Billy Wagner will be on the shelf indefinitely the Mets finally pulled off a trade for bullpen help. The Mets acquired Luis Ayala from the Washington Nationals yesterday. Though Ayala sports a 5.77 ERA this year the Mets are hoping that he’ll pitch more to his career 3.33 ERA form while eating some innings out of the bullpen. It should be noted that Ayala played for the Montreal Expos when current Mets general manager Omar Minaya was the GM there.
To make room for Ayala it is expected the Mets will option Eddie Kunz back to AAA New Orleans. Kunz had previously been the closer at AA Binghampton before being recalled by the Mets. Manager Jerry Manuel doesn’t have much confidence in him for some reason though many fans have been clamoring to see him in the closer role at Shea during Wagner’s absence. Though I’d like to see the team give the kid a chance I have to respect the decision of the baseball people on this one. They’re obviously seeing something that I can’t.
Though the deal was announced with the Mets giving up the mysterious player to be named later it has been reported that the player will be infielder Anderson Hernandez. Hernandez was in the mix at second base for the Mets as late as July 2007. But with the emergence of other infielders in the Mets organization (such as Argenis Reyes) the light hitting Hernandez became expendable.
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Bulpen Doesn’t Blow It!
I was out last night and couldn’t see the game. But a friend called me to let me know they were winning 10-0. “Sure”, I said, “but had they unleashed the bullpen yet?” Imagine my surprise this morning when I heard that the bullpen pitched 4 innings and the Mets managed to win 12-0! Will wonders ever cease?
Still, these things need to be kept in context. It’s not like the Nationals are the Phillies. Yes, they have to win games against second division teams. But it’s still a win against a second division team.
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Mets Bullpen Gets A Save!
The Mets bullpen was actually able to protect a lead given them by Johan Santana last night to help the Mets get within 1 game of the first place Phillies. Pedro Feliciano was credited with the save after retiring the Nationals in order in the 9th inning. Joe Smith pitched a 1 hit, no run 8th while Santana sat in the dugout and seemed (to me at least) to be visibly nervous. Could manager Jerry Manuel’s public statement about moving starting pitchers to the bullpen have been taken as a motivational message by the bullpen? We’ll find out tonight as the Mets take on the national again.
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